


Oh Howly Knight

by Taurwen13



Series: Taurwen13's 2019 Holiday Adventures and Short Stories [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Acromantulas, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Medieval, BAMF Nymphadora Tonks, BAMF Remus Lupin, Christmas, F/M, Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, Metamorphmagus, Winter Solstice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:13:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21809359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taurwen13/pseuds/Taurwen13
Summary: Yuletide has come to Snowdale - but when their annual Midwinter Solstice dance is interrupted by the army of nearby Voldemere its up to a special knight and the kingdom's greatest spy to save their beloved country. And they might just let themselves fall in love along the way.
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks
Series: Taurwen13's 2019 Holiday Adventures and Short Stories [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1534241
Kudos: 4





	1. The Yuletide Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Alright guys - this is part of the reason I was unable to match my goal of 1k-2k story releases from December 1st to December 24 - I end up finding a good story like this that ends up taking over 13k to tell. I'll be editing and posting chapters of this as the month continues, but it is already basically finished. This is my first shot at a real AU and I'm not even fully sure where this idea came from, but it was a lot of fun to create.
> 
> And so, without further adieu, here is my story - I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

The Yuletide Ball had always been the highlight of the year for the people in Snowdale, and while this year still called for celebration, the excitement was somewhat curbed by the growing threat of war from the neighboring country of Voldemere. Yet the people of Snowdale refused to let it stop them from celebrating the coming out of the darkness this midwinter, and set up the palace’s main ball room with sprigs of holly, mistletoe, and ivy – with a mighty and majestic pine tree at its center. Nothing was going to stop them from their yearly Solstice dance lasting from sundown to sunup on this, the longest night of the year.

It was especially hard for one of the knights to find anything to celebrate that winter. After already losing all his best friends one terrible night years ago, he had recently come to find out that his closest one had been innocent of a terrible crime all had thought he committed. It had breathed new life into the haggard knight to have his friend back once more, only to have lost him again at the hands of Voldemere’s top general – The Black Butcher, Bellatrix Lestrange. The pain of that loss was still fresh on his heart, but the king had insisted that all knights attend the festivities in case Voldemere tried to attack them while they were celebrating. The knight suspected this was more to put the minds of Snowdale’s citizens at ease than anything else. To strike during such an important event seemed low - even for them.

The knight sighed, trying to find some mirth in activities around him and finding none.

“Is something wrong, Sir Lupin?”

The knight turned and was stunned to find the princess addressing him.

“Nothing that I dare mar your evening with by sharing, your majesty. Merely old memories weighing on an equally old heart.”

The princess smiled sadly at the knight, causing her hair to take on a few blue stripes. The knight still nearly jumped when he saw it, despite having known for years of the Princess’ unique gift of magic that allowed her to change her appearance at will. Magic was rare in their world, and to most was more akin to mere parlor tricks. This was something altogether different. It was rumored that the King had finally acquiesced to her persistent nagging and was allowing her to train as a spy, but as the king’s only child it was usually dismissed as nonsense.

“Would a turn around the tree with a princess help alleviate that pain, fair knight?”

He chuckled. “I find it hard for someone as young as yourself to consider me ‘fair’, m’lady. I have more scars than you have years behind you, but if you insist, I would indeed be glad to dance a while with you.”

“Shall we then?” she asked, grabbing his hand and leading him out to the floor.

Knightly training rarely included such high-class skills as dancing, but he tried his best. More than once he felt the worn soles of his boot misstep onto the point of the princess’ bejeweled shoes, but she never faltered. Indeed, the warmth of her smile seemed to momentarily chase away his pain, and he could not help but let the corners of his mouth curl into a small smile.

“Now there is a look more befitting of my knights. You may have the best smile of the whole guard.”

“You flatter me, m’lady, but I daresay there is no prettier smile in all the land than yours.”

The princess blushed, causing her hair to flash a deep pink before settling onto the light brown she typically wore.

The music stopped before she could reply. The knight stepped back, bowed, and kissed her hand.

“Thank you, your majesty, for your kindness. Now I-”

Suddenly the lights disappeared. A shriek sounded from somewhere in the hall and soon the sounds of panic had filled the room.

“We have to go. Now!” the princess insisted, grabbing the knight’s hand and pulling him towards the wall. After pressing it in a few places, a faint click followed by a small draft was the only hint a door had been open, and after pulling the two of them through the princess slammed it shut.

Ripping noises as they moved through a dark passageway startled the poor knight, followed by two loud clunks from someone kicking off a pair of shoes. A match struck the wall and the knight was shocked to see the princess now sporting a simple dark leather cuirass, freshly oiled but otherwise quite plain.

“I was afraid something like this might happen,” she admitted softly as they moved forward. “I warned Father – intel had been increasingly alarming the past few days that something was afoot, but I couldn’t get him to listen. He insisted it would cause much more panic to skip the festivities and now look what that’s gotten him.”

A tear fell from her eye and the knight had already reached to wipe it before he realized he was moving.

Instead of getting angry, the princess calmed down a bit, stopping for the first time since they had left the ballroom.

“Right, focus. The two of us need to get out of the palace and down to the town.”

“Your right. We should probably get you to the boats to escape-”

“Escape?” the princess laughed. “I’m sorry Sir Lupin, but if you’re are expecting to run-”

“I’m not running, I’m getting my princess somewhere safe!”

She chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. Right now, we need to get out of here. Father has every one of our knights stationed in the room we just left. Every one of them except you. With your talents and my skills, we may stand a chance at helping everyone.”

“Skills?” the knight interrupted without realizing he was speaking aloud. “What skills might that be, your highness? Embroidery and high societal manners?”

A sly grin appeared on the princess’ face as it morphed into that of a street urchin, one the knight had personally trained a little over the years, while the other knights had treated like scum and wouldn’t let him near them.

“Don’t discount the strategic use of a well-placed needle or tactical advantages of flattery. Besides, I have my ways of learning things. Or did you not believe my favorite, and the least believed, rumor in the kingdom? That I, Princess of Snowdale, have trained to be the court spy known only as Tonks?”

She laughed as the poor knight’s jaw dropped.

“You’re – you’re Tonks? AND the orphan that stuck around the training hall so often?”

“Now do you see why I was staying close to you all night?”

The knight blinked slowly. “You were?”

“You were quite distracted by your thoughts, but I had hoped you would have kept your senses about you better than that.”

“I’m sorry, your majesty,” he insisted, taking a knee by her side, “I have failed you already tonight and quite possibly the king by my lack of perception.”

“Nonsense. You haven’t failed me, but we should probably drop the whole ‘your majesty’ bit for now, okay? You can call me Tonks.”

“Only if you call me Remus. I have a feeling my knightly title might have the same issues as your royal one right now.”

“Remus. I like the sound of that. Now, follow me, I think the next turn to the left is the spy’s armory. We need to get you outfitted a bit more like a commoner and less like a soldier at a ball.”

Nodding, he followed behind Tonks through the tunnels to their destination.

*****

Before long Remus was wearing a cuirass much like Tonks’ under a modest green tunic that was adorned with a simple, yet slightly festive, trim. She had insisted that it hadn’t been made with him in mind and was simply one the assassins had lying around, but the fact that it matched his eyes perfectly made him really question the princess’ claims. A pair of black pants that covered up most of his expensive boots completed his new attire.

Tonks was now sporting a similar outfit, only her tunic was a deep red color with no ornamentation. She was looking around for any supplies they might need, pocketing various bits and bobs as she went, and along with a short sword she brought Remus a spring of mistletoe for his hair.

“Is that really necessary?” he asked as she twisted it into the hair above his ear.

“Of course. It signifies you are but a humble traveler upon the King’s Road with nothing to gain by being robbed.”

“Isn’t that a little – dishonest?”

“Perhaps, a bit. But it is our best chance at blending in as someone that didn’t come to the ball should we be stopped wherever we end up going from here.”

Remus had to agree – for a princess she seemed like she was much more knowledgeable of the world than most people. She set a crown of mistletoe and ivy onto her head and Remus thought there was never a more beautiful sight in all the world as her beauty in that moment. He had to catch himself to remember who Tonks really was and quickly tried to advert his eyes.

The attention was not lost on Tonks, but she merely smiled and tried to act as if she hadn’t noticed.

“That should be everything,” she announced after checking a blade on her wrist and securing a bundle of provisions over her shoulder. “The exit for this room goes through an old but unused sewer channel under the palace and pops out in an empty stall in the stables by the river. Well, it’s supposed to be empty – there’s been a few times someone forgot or didn’t know to leave it empty and it’s led to some very eventful days.”

Dropping the smile, Tonks turned a portrait on the wall to the left a little and the wall beside it opened up.

“Shall we?” she asked, holding out her hand to Remus. He quickly took her hand, surprised to notice this time how warm and smooth they were, and let her lead him through the opening.

*****

It didn’t take Tonks long to find her way through the tunnels. She had often run through them in the dark hours of the morning trying to escape palace life, and the lack of light only made her other senses more heightened. She could now make it through without even touching the walls by just feeling the right drafts that smelled faintly of horse droppings.

Remus was hopelessly lost, despite years of training as a knight to help him stay aware of his surroundings. Tonks didn’t stop until he could vaguely see light poking through a few slats above her head. She placed a soft finger on his scarred lips, and he could just make out her gesturing upwards. Carefully climbing up the ladder in front of her, she lifted the trapdoor slightly to scout out what was above them.

“Can you believe how easy that was? All the knights in the land and they still couldn’t tell we was coming. Pathetic if you ask me.”

Remus’ blood boiled at the words, but Tonks moved her hand to firmly grip his shoulder. She slowly shook her head as he tried to calm down a bit.

“Hush, Goyle. Things still have not gone according to plan. They have yet to find where the princess is hiding, and there is a dispute as to whether one of the knights is missing.”

“Probably is wherever the Princess is if you ask me, Lucius.”

Tonks let out a small cry. Footsteps momentarily came their way as she ducked down before heading back to where they were. More cautiously this time she peeked back up again.

“I did not ask you, Crabbe. Besides, I thought you were supposed to be inside for the King’s assassination. Too much for you?”

“No-o-o-o. I’m not scared. And if it’s so important why are you there.”

A loud slap to the face sounded above them, as the more aristocratic voice spoke again.

“Someone has to look over the artifact. We cannot let this fall to someone else’s hands, and you know that you dolt.”

“I’ve been wondering,” piped back up the first voice. “If it’s supposed to have the king’s blood in, why keep it way out here.”

“Because with that many knights in there it is much more likely for one of them to swipe it during the ritual.”

“Then why not just leave if back in Voldemere? Why bother-”

“It is not our place to question the Dark One’s plans. Now shut up you idiots before you draw any attention to us. We don’t know if anyone might be wandering the road tonight.”

Tonks slowly climbed up a ladder resting against the end of the tunnel and lifted the trapped door just enough to slide out into the shadows. She could make out the three men by the door a bit better, and thanks be to the god Merlin they were all pointed away from her now. It gave her time to size them up – deciding the one with the long blonde hair was probably her biggest threat – before carefully slipping a small, feathered needle out of a pocket in her tunic and grabbing a hollow tube from the inside of her boot.

Slowly and silently she moved through the shadows until she was nearly behind the trio, before dropping the dart into her blowgun and taking careful aim at the blonde one’s neck. Taking a long, steadying breath, she closed her eyes, thought through her next few moves as she altered her appearance, and upon opening her eyes exhaled smoothly – propelling the tainted needle right into her target’s neck.

“Ow! What the-?”

The blonde grabbed at his neck before spinning around. He saw the frenzied look of a mad man on Tonks’ face before dropping to the ground in a heap.

The other two took a moment longer to register what was happening, and in that time Tonks had cleared the distance between them and managed to deftly jab one hand into each of their throats, cutting off their ability to yell for help.

In one fluid motion she moved closer to the ground and swiped the legs out from the taller of the two before coming up and placing the shorter one into a choke hold. It took longer than she had expected for him to drop, and she nearly missed seeing the other one regain his footing. Tonks had no time to dodge as he took a large swing at her head, only to suddenly fall to the ground stunned.

Remus grunted as he flexed his fist. “Been a long time since I had to punch someone. Little more stress to the knuckles than handling a sword. Using that dart was brilliant by the way.

Tonks shrugged. “I told you not to discount the strategic use of a well-placed needle. Can you help me get them tied up and gagged real quick? I’ll make sure to replace the stable hand’s rope later.”

It took no time at all to tie up the three mysterious men and toss them in a different empty stall than the one they had emerged from. A small fount was in a sack near where they had been standing, a black and twisted metal one with no liquid in it.

“What do you suppose it is?” asked Tonks as she reached to pick it up.

“Don’t touch it!” Remis nearly yelled. “It has a terribly evil aura to it. I don’t know what it is used for, but I’m certain it is for dark rituals.”

Tonks was shocked. “How can you detect that? I’m certain that is not a skill we can train out knights in.”

“No, I just…have an accursed ability to feel evil auras. I’ve had it for nearly as long as I can remember.”

“That’s amazing!”

“No, it’s really not,” he maintained sadly. “But anyways, enough about me. What do you wish to do next your – um, Tonks?”

Her hair briefly changed from that of a grimy boy to the deep pink it had done earlier while they were dancing. As quickly as it appeared it had disappeared as she took a deep breath.

“Well, we should probably try and save my Father, right?”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“What do you mean? You are a knight, sworn to protect him!”

“As was every other knight in the kingdom that are in there right now. If they have the numbers to assail our keep like that and they plan to assassinate your father, then he is surely already dead. I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to run to your death like that. I may have sworn to protect him, but that oath also applies to you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she slammed the heels of both her fists into the knight’s chest. She stayed that way, silently crying, for a while before Remus spoke up.

“My lady,” he whispered as he bent his head down towards hers, “we should leave. Who knows when those three will wake up or when the assailants will journey back down for that fountain? We need to put some distance between us and them, and do it fast.”

Silently, she nodded before turning away to the horses, making a point not to look at her knight. She knew he was right, and it hurt horribly that she had no time to mourn her father. She went through the motions of saddling up the black filly she normally rode when she left the stable and motioned for Remus to do the same to a roan one a few stalls away.

Remus made sure to secure the dark artifact into his horse’s saddlebag before Tonks had a chance to grab it – something that made her quite annoyed, but she still said nothing. Quickly mounting her horse, she started out of the stable with him close behind her.

“Where should we go next?” she finally asked as the midwinter’s moon shone down upon them. She shivered lightly in the wind, more from a slight dose of uncertainty than the cold, despite the ground being covered in snow.

“I’ve got an old friend in Hogstown that’s a professor of sorts. He might be able to tell us something about the dark artifact we found.”

“Hogstown. That’s, what, half a day’s ride from here?”

“Yes. You up for riding half the night?”

“I was going to be up anyways dancing till dawn so what’s the difference?” she asked numbly.

Remus didn’t know how to answer that. “Right, then, well, let’s head out, shall we?”

They set their horses off at a gallop, riding across the roads that divided the many fields surrounding Snowdale’s palace, and heading straight for the trees that marked the edge of their domain.

Tonks took one last look at her home as they reached the edge of the tilled earth, only to see a large mass of people covered in black robes descend from the palace steps. Her last glimpse of her palace was as the leaders of the group reached the stable they had just left, one of them yelling out in a fury she knew in her soul was directed towards them.

Remus had seen it, too, and as he watched a dark aura seeped through the kingdom, heading towards them.

They had been spotted, and he knew in his heart the hunt would soon be on.


	2. The Unclaimed Forest between the Kingdoms

The forests between the kingdoms had a long history as to why they weren’t claimed centuries ago. Remus knew of some of the dangers, and could sense many more, but Tonks only knew of the stories her nursemaids would tell her, and she had rarely ridden through it when it was night.

“Stay close, Tonks,” he insisted as her horse moved ahead, “I fear tonight being a Solstice night the woods will be most treacherous.”

“You don’t believe all those superstitions of giant spiders? Skeletal Horses? Werewolves?”

At that last word Remus shuttered a bit. “Yes, I do. And what’s more they are particularly active on nights like tonight and will probably stay that way until the New Year. Though I believe this night, being the Solstice proper, and tomorrow night when the moon is full will be the worst.”

Tonks started to laugh before becoming quite somber. “You aren’t joking, are you. You sound almost like you have firsthand experience with these monsters.”

“I do,” he replied sadly, “and if we are extremely careful you will get through this ordeal without earning any yourself, m’lady.”

They had slowed their horse down to a walk, both for the beasts’ sake as well as to best be aware of their surroundings, but neither of them spoke for a long while. Only the sound of the horse’s hooves crunching the snow beneath them broke the eerily silence all around them.

Suddenly, two things happened at once. The sound of pounding hooves from what could only have belonged to a small army began to grow louder and louder behind them right as the largest spider’s web Tonks had ever seen appeared ahead of them at a distance, stretching from one side of the road to the other without a gap between them.

“Just out of curiosity, what was so terrible about going off the roads?” Tonks’ asked with a shaky voice.

“Hopefully nothing as horrible as what will happen if we don’t,” Remus responded with horror in his voice. “Follow me!”

He veered his horse off into the woods down what appeared to be a game trail. Tonks was surprised he could see it so well in the dark – even her eyes, that were so accustomed to the dark passages throughout the palace hadn’t even noticed it.

“Whoa!” he cried to his horse, “steady!”

He jumped off the back of his horse and pulled it behind a tree, just far enough away from the road that he could still make out what was happening. Tonks followed suit, making sure to hold the horse’s reins tightly in her hand as she knelt down beside Remus.

All too soon the thundering horde was in view. Riders all in black and sporting silvery masks native to the Voldermere region galloped past until they reached the spider’s web. A few actually seemed to have been moving too fast to be able to stop once they had seen it and were even now fighting to get off the webs as spiders of all sizes crept closer.

“Spread out!” yelled a screeching voice, “They could not have gotten far!”

“But my lord! The forest!”

“What of it, Lucius?”

“There are – things - in there. It’s not safe to do this at night.”

“Is there none of my followers willing to do this deed for their master?”

No one spoke up, and the screeching voice seemed to sigh.

“Very well then, cowards. At first light you will all begin searching the forest, starting with you, Lucius, for failing me tonight and second guessing my plans.”

A faint hiss erupted from the group.

“What was that, Lucius?”

“Nothing my lord. I would gladly take this honor.”

“Your lies are weak, but I accept your word. Now, let’s head back to my new keep. I think I could get quite comfortable in a palace like Snowdale.”

A frightened whinny sounded from one of the horses before they left in mass the way they came. Tonks breathed a sigh of relief once they had disappeared from both sight and sound and moved to climb back onto her horse when Remus grabbed her hand.

“No. We can’t risk losing each other on the horses. Keep its lead firmly in one hand and hold onto mine with the other.”

“I don’t think it’s quite dark enough for us to lose sight of one another. Besides, we’ll have our footsteps in the snow we can retrace if…”

She turned away from Remus and was shocked to find their footprints – and that of the horses – was gone! Tonks could barely even make out the wide road they had been traveling on earlier.

“What – what is going on?” she asked, a slight note of fear noticeable in her voice.

“That,” replied Remus, “is the true danger of the Forbidden Forest. Long ago, TrailBlazers paved the main roads through the woods, setting down their roots in stone as well as in spells that have been lost to the ages. Without them, anyone that steps foot into the woods would have no idea where they could come out. Five steps could take someone five meters or five kilometers with how these woods bend and fold in on itself to create an ever-changing labyrinth. Only the TrailBlazers could bend the power of the woods to their will. There was once many TrailBlazers, but there hasn’t been once born in centuries. Maybe even longer.”

“So, it’s an ability you have to be born with? It can’t be taught?”

“No more than I can learn to change the color of my hair.”

She paused a moment before speaking back up. “Then why is this no less of a death trap than staying on the road? There may have been a way past the spiders or-”

“M’lady – er, Tonks, it is my sworn oath to protect your family. Tell me how, with that as my directive, I was supposed to stay there when the very horde of Voldemere be at our backs?”

She knew he was right but didn’t say it aloud.

“Anyways,” Remus continued after a slight pause. “While TrailBlazers are gone, there are a handful of PathFinders around – those capable of finding old paths, many made by the animals in the forest that don’t seem as effected by the magic around them. I possess a bit of that skill, which is how I was able to find this game trail. I think I know where this one lets out, but I can’t make any promises. I do know that we need to be careful or we could lose each other as well as this track.”

Tonks wrapped her horse’s lead tighter around one hand and reached for Remus with her other. His hand was callused but warm – much warmer than she had expected it to be – and his firm grip helped calm her nerves a bit as they moved forward.

The small game trail was difficult to navigate with the horses, especially as it twisted and turned through the brush. It kept them going at a much slower pace than Remus had wanted to move at, though with how hard it was to see the trail at times he doubted they could have moved any faster without them.

Suddenly, they heard a loud snap of a branch ahead of them, followed by a low growl. Tonks stared into the darkness ahead of them and saw what she thought was three massive wolves. As they approached, she realized it was actually a three headed monstrosity. She crouched into a defensive position, being careful not to drop her hands unless she absolutely needed to, when she heard growling and snarling noises from beside her. Remus seemed to be trying to communicate with the beast, and soon it was much calmer. With a playful sounding bark, it turned around and started heading into the forest ahead of them, leaving a wider track in its wake that even the horses could follow easily.

“What – what was that? And how were you able to talk with him?”

Remus winced a bit before responding. “That would be Fluffy. I was hoping to see him soon, and before anything else could find him. He belongs to someone that lives deep in the forest, one of the few benevolent residents here.”

“Fluffy? That thing has a name?”

“Course he has a name, it’s one of Hagrid’s pets. He has a few of them, some more dangerous than others. Typically, the more ferocious sounding names are actually the least dangerous.”

Tonks was beginning to wonder what kind of person this Hagrid would be, but Remus seemed much more relaxed since they found Fluffy – or rather, been found by Fluffy.

Soon, much sooner than she had expected, they reached a large clearing with an abnormally large hut near its edge. The snow that had been deep in the forest was nearly gone inside the circle of trees, with most of the clearing showing no more than a mere dusting, if that. Outside of the hut sat someone whittling away at a flute – he was too big to be a human, but not big enough to be one of the Giants from the stories she had heard.

“ ‘ello there, Remus,” greeted the mountain of a man. “Didn’t expect to see yeh, especially this time of month, or I would have sent Fluffy out earlier. It was only a few minutes ago word reached me that yeh were nearby. I’ve been getting ready to head out for my yearly ride and I haven’t been as great at keeping a lookout. Now, who might this be and what are yeh doing off the main road?”

“You can tell him who you really are,” encouraged Remus. “I will vouch for Hagrid as being a great ally, and the area around here is heavily warded to keep unwanted ears from hearing anything.”

“Very well,” Tonks spoke as she changed her appearance to its normal look and dropped into a more regal voice. “Wotcher, Hagrid. I am Nymphadora Tonks, princess of Snowdale, head spy for the kingdom, and we are currently running from our lives from the Voldemere army that came into the forest earlier. We have reason to believe that they have murdered my father and also want me dead.”

Hagrid stared at her in awe. “M’lady, it is an honour to have yeh here in my section of the forest, though I wish we’d met under different circumstances. If there is anythin I can do fer yeh I will gladly help.”

“We need safe passage through the forest to Hogstown,” Remus explained. “We have something in our possession I need to speak to Dumbledore about.”

“Dumbledore you say? Why, I’m about ter head up there with me sleigh in a couple of days. I just need to get a few more toys made for the students first.”

“Unfortunately, I do not think we can wait that long, Hagrid. I daresay it is nearly morning by now and we need to get there before tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow night?” asked Tonks. “What’s so pressing that we need to get there by then.”

“I – I have my reasons, m’lady, and I would rather not put you in danger by revealing it just yet. Perhaps one day.”

“Hmmm,” grumbled Hagrid, “I might be able teh get the last of me toys finished up today if I hurry. You two need to get some sleep anyways. Head on inside and kip on my bed or on the bearskin in front of the fireplace. Fang will enjoy seeing yeh, Remus.”

Remus hated to admit it, but he was right. “If you can promise to get us to the castle before the moon rises again, I’ll agree to sleep here for a short while. It would be an unparalleled opportunity to accompany you on such a trip.”

“You just leave that ter me. Go along now, both of ye, and rest. Seems like I’ve got more work to do.”

Remus led Tonks inside where he was promptly greeted by a very overexcited boarhound.

“Down Fang, down!” he commanded, and the large dog did as he was told. As soon as Tonks past close enough he jumped up long enough to lick her face before leaning up against her for a headscratch.

“Like I said, the scarier the name, the more docile Hagrid’s pets seem to be. Now m’lady, do you want the bed, or the bear skin?”

Tonks looked up at the enormous bed with wide eyes and back to the abnormally large fur near the fire. “I think I will have to take the bear skin. I strongly doubt I would be able to get up there.”

Remus nodded. “I daresay I may even have difficulty with that. You head on over there and get some rest.”

Tonks yawned, suddenly very much aware of how long they had been traveling. “Very well, ‘Night Remus.”

“Goodnight, m’lady,” the knight replied, bowing low as he did before trying to climb onto Hagrid’s bed.

Tonks turned away and quickly shed her armour before laying down upon the soft fur, watching intently as Remus attempted a failed a few times to meet his goal.

“Enough,” she called out. “I can’t have my knight hurting himself trying to sleep. Pull a blanket down and come over here. This fur is easily big enough for two to lay on.”

Remus looked shocked. “I couldn’t do that. It is not proper, both because of your social status as well as us being unwed. I can’t-”

“Oh for Merlin’s sake, just shut up and come over here before I have to order you to,” she demanded. “There is enough room for us to sleep separately as I daresay it is wider than two single person sized beds.”

“If – if you insist m’lady,” Remus responded, mildly shocked as he pulled down one of the blankets, using it as a screen once it was partially down to remove his own armour before dragging it over to the fire.

“That’s better,” she told him through another yawn before pulling the blanket up to her neck and quickly passing out. It took Remus a few moments more as he stared at his princess, who seemed so much calmer now that she was asleep. He didn’t have it in him to watch her long as he, too, was overcome by his drowsiness and passed into a dreamless sleep.

*****

“Oi, you two. I have the sled all set up. Time ter-”

Hagrid stopped as he saw the two sleeping by the fire. Tonks had her face against Remus’ shoulder and her arm across his waist.

Remus woke first, trapped with how she was holding him, and a mild panic overtook him.

“M’lady – Tonks – It’s time to wake up now.”

“Five more minutes, Mum,” she muttered against his shoulder before she realized where she was. She blushed, the color traveling from her cheeks to the tips of her hair before she jerked back and rolled over towards the fire. She waited for Remus grab his armour and follow Hagrid outside before she crawled out from under the blanket, securing her own armour under her tunic before heading out to join them.

Fang met her on the way and she was soon laughing as he tried to play with her, embarrassment long forgotten when she reached the sleigh they were to be riding on.

She momentarily lost her breath as she stared it. The sleigh was nothing like she had expected, though she reminded herself that she had only ever used the palace’s ornate spectacles pulled by highly groomed steeds as she had only ever used a horse when she was sneaking out.

This enormous sleigh had a different kind of beauty to it. It was wooden – not the metal she had been accustomed to – and carved with animals, most of which were painted gold against the mostly red sleigh trimmed in green. A large burgundy sack sat behind the seat filled to nearly overflowing with what looked like handmade toys. Boughs of fresh holly and mistletoe were twisted with ivy around both the top of the sleigh as well as the harnesses that extended from the front of the sleigh.

Besides hers and Remus’ horses, Tonks only now noticed what filled the harnesses beyond them. They were skeletal, winged beasts that made the hair on her arm raise when she saw them.

“First time seeing Thestrals, aye?” asked Hagrid with a forlorn face. “I was hopin yeh wouldn’t be able teh see them. Only us folks that have seen death can make out their shape. Otherwise yeh can’t see anything.”

She gulped. “They aren’t dangerous, are they?”

“Course not,” he insisted as he climbed up into the front seat of the sleigh. “I wouldn’t use them to deliver presents if they were. Don’t want ter see anybody to get hurt now. Come on up on the sleigh you two and let’s be off. Not much time between now and moon rise.”

Remus jumped up onto the seat quickly before extending a hand for Tonks.

“Wait, what about our horses? They can’t fly. How are they-”

“Don’t you worry about that. There’s more magic in this sleigh than you could know, especially with how the faeries decorate it each year.”

“Faeries? They exist?”

Hagrid chuckled. “Many things, both good and evil, exist in these trees. Sometimes stories speak of ‘em, others have never been seen by anyone that can escape to tell such tales. Don’t worry yer head too much over that. We’ll be out of here quicker than anything else can find us, and hopefully you’ll never have to step foot off the trails again. Now, hold on tight.”

Remus deftly switched seats with Tonks so that he was on the outside of the sleigh, holding onto the top curve of the sleigh in front of him and securing the other protectively almost around Tonks’ shoulder’s – close enough to grab her if something happens but far enough away that he could tell himself he wasn’t snuggling against her.

Tonks was feeling a bit apprehensive about the ride and had barely noticed when he had slid her down to the middle of the bench. It was starting to sink in that they really were about to start flying, and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that.

Before she had long to dwell on it, Hagrid flick his reins and a moment later the sleigh was being pulled up into the air and over the tops of the trees. After a momentary lurch in her stomach, Tonks was thrilled to find that soaring through the clouds as the sun set to their left was much more exciting than she had expected – as long as she didn’t look down.

Remus was handling his first trip through the skies a bit better. He was mesmerized by how small the Forbidden Forest looked from up here, yet it still seemed to go on forever. His eyes kept darting past the other two to watch the progress of the setting sun, getting more and more anxious as they went.

“Hagrid – about how much longer is this going to take?”

Tonks noticed a faint note of fear in his voice, though she couldn’t possibly think of a reason for it. The sleigh lurched a bit and she felt his arm momentarily wrap around her, causing all such thoughts to be dismissed.

“We may need to hurry things up a bit,” declared Hagrid as he, too, looked over to the setting sun. Grabbing the reins, he slapped them over the backs of the steeds. “Hyah!”

Tonks was feeling a bit dizzy as the sleigh began to move faster. She had to close her eyes for a moment as her body reacclimatized to the new speed, but soon she was able to look around once more, noting a few stars begin to speckle the horizon to her right.

Remus noticed the forest’s edge coming up quickly now and could just make out the lonely mountain ahead where Hogstown rested, causing a quick feeling of relief rush over them. Hopefully he would have enough time to slip away from Tonks before the moon rose, but he couldn’t do that until he had safely delivered her to Dumbledore’s temporary care.

Finally, they reached the mountain and Hagrid moved to put down the sleigh on a wide outcropping. In front of it stood a large set of stone doors adorned with a crest carved into them that Tonks recognized immediately as the seal of Hogstown. She quickly changed her appearance back to that of a homely street urchin before they landed.

The moment the sleigh hit the ground, Remus jumped off into the snow and half helped, half pulled her down beside him. The great stone gates opened, and out walked the wise old sage Tonks had heard of for years but never actually met.

“You’re a bit early my dear Hagrid, but I’m sure the children won’t mind. And I’m surprised you have visitors with you – odd indeed. But, no, it can’t be – Princess Nymphadora! I have heard terrible tales come from Snowdale this past day. It is an honour to have you here, safe and sound.”

“How? How can you see through my disguise?”

“My dear girl, not much can escape my notice, especially here at my own home. Which brings us to – Remus! But-”

Tonks noticed as the elderly looking man glanced up at the sky before dropping his gaze back to her knight, who nodded grimly.

“Hagrid, can you watch the princess a moment more while Remus and I – discuss a few things before he retires for the night?”

“Retires?” questioned Tonks, “but we only just woke up!”

Dumbledore had already whisked him away before she could finish speaking, leaving her and Hagrid with the sleigh.

“Right. Better get the sleigh inside the gates. No tellin’ what might be out here tonight with you on the run. Come on up again.”

Hagrid reached down and easily lifted Tonks back into the sled before encouraging the steeds onward. It didn’t take long before children began poking their heads out of windows and chattering loudly to one another. They seemed especially happy to see Hagrid, and as they neared a great circle at in the center of the town children seemed to pour out of the four buildings around them.

“Alright there, Hagrid?” called an older red headed boy wearing a black robe trimmed in gold and red with a big patch on his chest.

“Just fine, Ron. Thanks fer asking.”

“I hope I get the sled Father said I deserve,” spoke a boy loudly to his friends, all of which had poured out of a different building and had silver and green trimmed robes.

“You’ll get watch you get, Malfoy, and nothing more!” hollered Hagrid, causing the youth to turn an embarrassed shade of pink.

More children emerged, some wearing the same colored robes as the two boys that spoke up, while others were trimmed in black and yellow or blue and bronze. There weren’t as many as Tonks had thought there would be having seen the buildings they had emerged from, but they were filled with unbridled joy as they reached the sleigh.

“Hagrid, who are all these kids?”

“Oh, them?” he replied, turning back from the sack he was beginning to untie. “Those are all the students Dumbledore takes in ter school in the scholarly arts. Not every child is able to make it in here, and those that finish out the course become librarians, court advisors, and many other places where knowledge is coveted. I like ter help raise their spirits midway through the year by delivering presents. Now, yeh think you can help me pass these out?”

“Sure, but how can I tell who gets what toy?”

“Oh, you’ll know. Or rather, the toy will know who it goes to. Just try to pass em out and you’ll see.”

Taking a deep breath, Tonks started passing out toys to the waiting children. It was by far the last thing she expected to do while on the run, searching for answers, but soon she was overwhelmed with a feeling of joy watching their excited faces and it momentarily chased all worries from her mind. The boy with the green trimmed robe did indeed get a sled, though so did many other children in each house. She noticed though that those trimmed in red tended to get more knight toys and play swords and shields that the others, while those in yellow trim tended more towards dolls and carved creatures. The blue trimmed ones received more often than not things that looked more like wooden puzzles and bookmarks than actual toys, but they seemed just as happy to get them as the other kids that got more conventional toys. The green trimmed ones had a pretty even distribution of toys found in the other houses, but they were more intricately carved and gilded. She did note that their carved toys tended to be more snakes and dragons than the others, which seemed to make they quite content.

The flute she had seen Hagrid carving when they had first met him he insisted on giving out himself to a green-eyed boy with messed up black hair even though he had already received a sled, something that did not escape the gaze of the jealous boy trimmed in green. Before he could say anything though, Dumbledore came walking down the steps between the buildings on the far side of the circle – behind which Tonks only just noticed was a small castle-like structure that seemed to be carved directly into the mountain behind it. As the sage neared, a hush overtook the student body, which parted to allow him access to Hagrid’s sleigh.

“Thank you again, my friend. Your visit is always a much looked forward to highlight of our year. Now, if everyone would please go back to their dormitories, I have a few words I need to exchange with him before he leaves. Prefects, curfew is set back an hour tonight to make up for me taking away your chance to mingle here for a while. I will see you all bright and early for your lessons in the morning.”

A disappointed moan erupted from all sides of the sleigh as the children did as they were told. As soon as every last one was gone, Dumbledore climbed up into the sleigh with Hagrid and Tonks.

“Remus is resting in his room for the remainder of the night,” Dumbledore whispered to them. “I would prefer to put off any further discussion that he may need to be privy to until the morning.”

“But, why? Everyone seems to know something about my most prized knight that I don’t, and I demand to see him.”

“Well, for one,” began Dumbledore, “I am neither your subject nor am I to release that kind of sensitive information about one of my closest friends to anyone, even you your majesty. What I can do, is find a stable for both of your horses and settle you into a room of your own tonight. I can even give you a potion to help you rest if you trust me enough. Hagrid, would you be so kind as to tend to the horse.”

“It would be a pleasure, Dumbledore, sir.”

“Thank you. Now, your majesty, shall we adjourn to the main building? I have a room that should be ready for you. And I daresay you will probably not find another one as inviting as this on your travels, should they go where I fear they might.”

Tonks, being trained in her work as a spy to not trust strangers as it gives them a prime chance to kill them, hesitated a moment.

“Had it been anyone else but Remus that had vouched so heavily for both you and Hagrid I wouldn’t dare follow you a step further. But, you are also the only way I can move forward, both in my quest as well as to see my knight again. Therefore, I will go with you once I retrieve the saddlebags from my horses.”

Hagrid, having apparently still heard their quiet conversation, began to unclip the bags from the beasts before Dumbledore abruptly stopped him.

“Hagrid!” he called out. “Be careful to not touch the bags on the other horse. I’m afraid your assistant will need to retrieve it on their own.”

Dropping his voice down to where again only she could hear him, he continued. “I do not know what is in that bag, but I would hesitate for anyone to come in contact with something giving off such a dark aura.”

“That’s what Remus said as well when we found it.”

“In that case, keep it with you in your room and never let it get out of your sight. Hide it in your room while you sleep – not that I expect you to have any problems here-”

“-but it never hurts to be careful. Don’t worry, sir, I know.”

“Very well. Go retrieve your bags and I will personally show you to your room.”

Tonks nodded and, after removing the saddle bag and carefully placing both it and the one Hagrid handed her over each shoulder, followed the sage into the castle. He led her down multiple hallways before coming to an abrupt halt and backtracking one doorway.

“Yes, this is the one,” he declared as he opened the door.

A small creature with big eyes and large, bat-like ears was on the other side and bowed low as Dumbledore entered.

“The room is ready, Master Dumbledore, sir,” the creature declared in a very high-pitched voice. “Wipsy made sure to even pull down the covers and place the potion on the tableside just as Master Dumbledore asked Wipsy to do.”

“Very well. You can head back to the kitchen now, Wipsy. Thank you.”

“Tis not a problem, Master Dumbledore, sir,” and with a snap the creature was gone.

“House-elf. Probably one of the few remaining innately magical creatures. I would be quite happy if you don’t mention their existence, or the fact that I have some in my employ.”

Tonks nodded, convinced no one would believe her even if she did, and entered the room.

“I hope the room is to your liking. I will take my leave now. You may lock the door if you wish, though I assure you there is nothing for you to fear happening to you tonight.”

The elder sage slipped backwards out of the door, closing it as he did, and for the first time she really looked around at her surroundings.

The room was decorated in the light blue and white of her family’s house, with her personal crest resting above her bed. The room was decorated in a distinct Snowdale style, and it made her yearn for home before remembering that it would not be the same without her father when and if she was able to come home. Tearing up, she locked the door and, after considering it a few moments, downed the potion on her nightstand. She gazed out a window into the dark night, noting how brightly the full moon shown – surpassing the stars in its grandeur, until the effects of the potion began to overtake her. Taking off her armour and crawling into bed, she slowly passed into a refreshing sleep.


	3. Voldemere

A frantic knock at her door quickly pulled her from her slumber.

“M’lady, there is danger outside the gates! We need to speak to Dumbledore immediately!”

The moon was gone from her window, though she noticed that the sun was still not quite up, telling her it was much earlier than she had expected to rise. She grabbed her armour and ran to the door before putting it on – calling through the door as she did.

“Prove to me you are Remus – tell me something only he would know.”

“Your hair turns a deep pink when you blush which is one of your favorite colors, you are both a princess and a spy, your favorite way to great people is ‘wotcher’, you are quite handy with a short fencing sword, and, unless you have changed it, your underclothes are light blue with white lace.”

At the final line she was both fully convinced of who it was as well as ready to open the door. She swung it open and slapped her poor knight across the face before she realized what she was doing.

“I probably deserved that, but I would assume it did prove who I was.”

“How did you know?”

“When I woke up yesterday it had slipped off of your shoulder in your sleep.”

Tonks blushed as she reached back into the door to grab their saddlebags. “Sorry about the slap.”

“It’s alright. Truly. Now, let’s go find Dumbledore. I think I can smell – er, I think he’s down this hallway.”

“How do you know him so well?” she asked as they rushed down the halls.

“Would you believe that for a time I went to this school before I left to become a knight?”

“Explains a bit. Most of my knights can barely read. Well, the knights I did have.”

“Hey,” exclaimed Remus as he stopped moving to grip her shoulders and look straight in her eyes. “We don’t know for sure anything has happened to him. All we know is that someone was planning to assassinate your father, but we don’t even know if that happened.”

“But what about what they said in the forest! Snowdale is their new stronghold. None of my knights would dare stand for that to happen!”

Remus’ face betrayed some of the fear behind his eyes. “Let’s go talk to Dumbledore. I am sure he is more up to date on things right now than we are, and we still don’t know where to go after we leave here.”

Before long they had reached the room Dumbledore was in, though not without Tonks noticing Remus trying to hide himself sniffing the air a few times along the way. There was a table in there that showed a relief map of the known world with startling detail, including a darkness overtaking her beloved home.

“We have a problem. Even now there is a cloaked army amassing outside my gate. I fear they have found where you are, more than likely after infiltrating Hagrid’s hut.”

“Surely he wouldn’t have given us away, I know him to be more loyal than that!”

“Indeed he is, Remus, though you must understand what you are up against. The Black Butcher, who delights in torturing people, rides with the Voldemere army, and rumor has it that one of their number, possibly even the Dark Lord himself, has the ability to read minds.”

Both Tonks and Remus inhaled sharply, looking at one another in horror.

“Tell me,” instructed Dumbledore calmly, “what exactly did you tell Hagrid?”

“Everything,” Tonks replied with her hands covering her face, “who I am, both titles, and that we were coming here to find answers.”

“Did you mention the dark artifact in your bag?”

“No,” Remus answered with a sigh of relief, “we didn’t. Thank Merlin.”

“I think it is time for me to look at it now. Bring me the bag, but do not open it.”

Tonks walked around the table and placed it on the map in front of him. Carefully, the old sage opened it and gazed inside.”

“The Fount of Purity, though obviously corrupted in some way. It used to be part of a legendary spring, lending magical power to those deemed worthy, but it was stolen long ago and I had heard whispers of it being tainted with the power to remove the innate magical ability to those that touch it – fueled by the blood of those once touched by its power.”

“But that’s absurd. No one is born magical, at least not anymore!” insisted Tonks.

“And yet you, a metamorph, stand here before me. What is that if not magic?”

When she did not reply, he turned to Remus.

“I think it is time for you to explain yourself. She has been pulled into our world, for better or worse, though I had insisted to her mother it should have been done years ago.”

Remus sighed and slowly walked over to where Tonks stood. He pulled the collar of his shirt down, revealing a horrific bite mark scarred over but still with a black twinge radiating from a hole in its center.

She traced the mark with her fingers momentarily before stepping back as she figured out the truth.

“You – you’re a werewolf, aren’t you!”

He dropped his eyes and stared at his shoes. “You would have figured it out on your own soon enough. I’m surprised you hadn’t earlier to be honest, though most people will choose to ignore such signs for the peace that comes with ignorance. I understand if you don’t want anything more to do with me.”

A million different emotions welled up inside her, before she had to grip the table to stay upright as hot, angry tears poured down her cheeks.

“No. I’ve probably already lost my father, my home, everything. You are all I know I have left. You aren’t allowed to leave me and that’s an order!”

Remus’ breath caught in his chest. It was the last thing he had expected her to say upon learning his accursed secret.

Dumbledore cleared his throat as a loud thud came from somewhere outside. A lady in emerald green ran in before he could speak.

“All the children have been moved to somewhere safer, Albus. If the wards fail now, they won’t be harmed.”

“Thank you, Minerva. Gather the other teachers and head to the circle. I will be down momentarily.”

With a nod, the woman left as quickly as she had come.

“Now then, back to the current problem. I fear I have bad news. I received notice from your mother, Tonks, and it is indeed as you have feared. I’m afraid your father has been killed.”

More, unbidden hot tears spilled from her eyes as she tried to process everything. Hating to see her in such a position, Remus stepped forward and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, shocked when she actually seemed to relax into it.

“Your mother, however, is fine. They seem to think it was your father that possessed the magical bloodline that flows through your veins and not her. Which, had you not stolen the fount, they would have already found out and slaughtered her as well, so your quick thinking there has hopefully saved a life.”

Tonks noticeably relaxed a bit before stepping back to lean against Remus for support – causing his breath to once again hitch in his throat.

“I hate to inform you, though, that many of the knights and even some of the townspeople were slaughtered in Voldemere’s anger when they failed to find you among them. They still hadn’t discovered Remus’ absence, though with the horde outside I doubt that is still true. Which brings us back to the present, where I have an angry mob outside of my school trying to rip through my gates in an effort to get to the two of you and the fount that you carry.”

“Okay, how do I destroy this thing then?” Tonks asked, her hair turning blood red as the anger in her voice rose. “I cannot allow anyone else to die, especially for me.”

“That I am not sure, though I have a guess. The land of Voldemere has not seen outsiders for many years, though I do have a few of my students that I am certain are from there, despite their families’ every effort to hide the fact. I would rather train my students to their fullest potential than have dangerously untrained magical prodigies causing havoc no matter where they hail from. And I would wager a guess that if there is something that can counter an object such as this fount, it would probably be kept in the safest vaults of Voldmere’s castle.”

“So, can we use those families to get into Voldmere somehow?” inquired Remus.

“Not without using the students as hostages, something I am against doing even without the fact it would most likely fail – they could be no more motivated to take me and my school down if I withheld even one of their number.”

“How, then, can we get in? I assume walking through the gates is out of the question.”

“I have but one ally in that realm, and it is partially through him I can get students from there. He is quite close to the Dark Lord himself as such has been a very important spy for me, while still appearing to spy for Voldmere.”

“You don’t mean,” replied Tonks, “Snape is one of yours?”

“Indeed. And I have a way to secure your passage between here and his house, though I will have to go with you.”

“But what about Hogstown? How can it defend itself without you here?”

“My dear Remus, you know the answer to that question. My wards are strongest when I cannot be here to protect my own. They will be safest without me here.”

“Don’t you need to inform your other teachers?” asked Tonks. “You said you would be down to see them soon.”

A chuckle that she was not expecting erupted from the elder sage. “Trust me, they will know when I leave. I fear that you may still need an old and expendable man like me, much more than I will be needed here. Now then, shall we?”

He gestured to an open fire, and while Tonks looked at him like he was crazy, Remus merely nodded before following him over there.

Picking up the saddle bags she joined them by the fire as she passed one bag over to Remus. He grabbed a jar of dust, not unlike the one her mother had on the fireplace in her room back home, and passed it to Dumbledore. Grabbing a handful, he slung it into the fire, causing it to turn a bright green. Tonks jumped back with a start.

“Albus,” came a long, drown out voice, every syllable oozing with contempt, “I trust you have particularly important business to contact me at such a time that The Dark Lord is out.”

“I’m sorry, Severus, but it’s worse than that. I and two others are looking for a way to destroy the dark fount that was brought to Snowdale.”

“I should have known whoever pilfered that would end up at your door, if they weren’t so stupid as to touch the accursed thing first. Let me guess – the Snowdale princess turned spy and the missing guard the army is trying to pretend doesn’t exist for fear of making them look bad.”

“As always Severus, you are right on the mark. Do you think you have a way to help us?”

“It will cost you dearly I’m afraid – a price you might not be willing to pay-”

“If it can stop this evil, possibly for good, then it will be worth it.”

“If you are so sure…then I might have an option that could work, but it will be quite difficult to pull off. I have dropped my wards for the moment – come through quickly before someone notices.”

“Thank you, my friend. After the two of you. Quickly now.”

“But Tonks has never travelled by Floo before,” pointed out Remus.

“Then you best pull her through with you. Merlin only knows which grate she might show up on if you don’t.”

Nodding, Remus reached out for Tonks’ hand and pulled the two of them through the fireplace. He watched her close her eyes as the world changed around her and carefully yanked her through when he saw the right spot, both of them tumbling to the floor.

“I should have guessed it would have been you – Remus.”

“Severus,” he replied with a twinge of petty rivalry Tonks hadn’t expected. “A pleasure, as always, to see you again.”

“Likewise.”

Both men’s voice dripped with sarcasm, but before either of them could continue Dumbledore came through and Snape’s demeanor changed back to what it was through the fire. A loud siren came from outside the house causing everyone but Snape to jump.

“I’m afraid they’ve noticed your entrance. Quick – run towards the back of the castle. I’ll try not to lethally harm you as you flee.”

“What?” cried Tonks before Remus barreled her through the door. Dumbledore took up the rear and took the brunt of the spy’s frightening lightning attacks as they headed towards where they were instructed to go. They found a door and tried to open it as Snape closed in on them. Panicked, Tonks turned to hear him muttering nonsense.

“ _Alohomora_ ,” Remus heard him whisper between attacks, trying the door once again and pushing Tonks through with Dumbledore close behind.

Snape slipped through as they could see a small mob running behind him. He closed the door and muttered something else, causing the door to audibly lock.

“Right, that should be us a little time, though I doubt not enough,” explained Snape, glancing to Dumbledore with an unsure look before the elder sage nodded.

“Fine. This way – follow me,” the dark spy instructed as he dramatically threw his cloak behind him.

Remus moved quickly, not letting go of Tonks once, who was not appreciating being out of her element again.

“What is going on? How could he shoot lightning? How on earth did we get here through a fire? Is here Voldemere? Where are-”

“Shh,” Remus interjected, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “I promise I will answer all of your questions as soon as are out of here, if we make it out alive.”

“Which would be much easier if there is QUIET!” half-yelled Snape, causing everyone to drop into an eerie silence.

They followed his lead through many partially lit halls, an occasional nondescript door appearing here and there, until finally reaching an enormous vault door, easily twice as tall as Remus stood.

“Are you absolutely sure about this, Albus. You can always say no-”

“Not if we are to be able to defeat this once and for all. You know as well as I do why The Dark Lord kept this particular artifact close, and whatever it is you are bringing us towards so far from our reach.”

Snape nodded before producing a knife from his robes and handing it to Dumbledore.

“A good smear on the center should do the trick for this one.”

“No, one of us should do it, not you,” insisted Remus.

“I am old, and the least important amongst us.”

“But sir-” began Tonks.

“No. I knew as soon I saw you who you were. You are the Princess – the one we need to destroy the Dark Lord and rule over Snowdale. That is why your mother kept her – our – world from you for so long. Your Knight – your sworn protector and the one that must help you complete your task. It’s the two of you, working together, that have gotten us here.”

“Albus, we do need to hurry. I wouldn’t be surprised if the main army is back by now.”

“Right. Well then, here we go.”

Raising the knife, Dumbledore slashed across his arm and placed it against the center of the vault’s lock. The mechanism began to twist and turn to various numbers at high speed as he fell backwards a step, visibly weakened by the ordeal.

“Hurry on ahead. Don’t wait for me. I’ll catch up.”

Snape took off at a run as Remus pulled Tonks along to keep up. Inside the vault was even bigger than they had expected it to be. They followed their leader to the far corner where a bright light shown out from behind a metal door. Tonks went to reach for it when Snape caught her hand.

“I wouldn’t touch that, silly girl. Not if you don’t want to end up too drained to at least have a chance at surviving through tonight.”

She went to answer, but Dumbledore had caught up to them and quickly placed his still bleeding arm on the door. Instantly it disappeared, and Snape quickly snatched a glowing pitcher of what looked to be liquid light.

“Now, to the altar in the center of the vault. It needs to be done there, and fast!” insisted Snape. “Remus, grab his other arm. He won’t be able to get there otherwise.”

Tonks was the first one to get to the altar. She slung her saddlebag from off of her shoulder and unzipped the compartment with the fount in it.

“Stop!” Dumbledore yelled feebly. “You can’t. I – must – do – it.”

“But you are so drained already. How can you-”

He didn’t give her a chance to reply. As soon as he had been carried far enough, he half reached, half fell onto the bag and pulled out the fount. The moment his hand touched the cursed thing it withered down almost to the bone and turned a horrid black color. It began to spread up his arm as he slowly moved it to the center of the altar, nearly dropping it as he reached his mark.

“Now!” he exclaimed, breathing heavily. “Add the water!”

Tonks did as she was told and poured the pitcher of liquid light over the top of the fount. Instantly, the grotesquely looking metal cleared into a brilliant silver, so shiny it almost sparkled like diamonds.

Four masked figures appeared in the vault in front of them, the foremost one wincing in pain as he appeared.

“You fools! You may have cleansed my fount, but you cannot destroy it or me so easily. Or did you think you had everything figured out.”

“Tsk, tsk my dear Tom – do you really see me as naïve as that?” Dumbledore asked as he struggled to stand, making sure to not let go of the fount in the process. “I know full well what is needed to defeat you, as well as the plans to do so. Severus – Now!”

“ _Avada Kedavra!_ ” he yelled, pointing his wand at Dumbledore, who slumped to the floor in a dead heap, causing a beam of silvery light go from the fount to Voldemort before solidifying and shattering against him into a million pieces – each one slicing the darkest threat to the known world to pieces.

“No!” screamed everyone else in the room, the black masks falling from the other three that appeared to reveal faces Tonks had seen many times on bounty posters across her realm - The Black Butcher, her husband Rodolphus, and Lucius Malfoy.

“You’ll pay for that, treacherous scum!” screamed Bellatrix, pointing her wand at Snape as both of them shot at each other the same green light that had just killed Dumbledore, causing both of them to fall unmoving to the floor.

Rodolphus ran forwards to grasp his wife’s body before turning to sneer at Remus and Tonks.

“You two will pay for this!” he spat before pulling a long, thin wand from his sleeve. Much to Tonks’ surprise, so did Remus.

“It’s two against one, surely you realize you stand no chance. Especially with someone as hopelessly talentless as that twat of a princess behind you.”

Tonks’ hair stood on end, turning a very bright red as the two cloaked figures laughed at her.

“You forget that I am still a knight of Snowdale – or do you not consider me a threat?”

“Maybe last night we would have, wolfy-boy. But today you are nothing more than a pathetic guard who I doubt could even remember how to use that excuse of a wand when you probably haven’t cast a single spell with it in years.”

“I don’t need to. I can hold my own against either one of you in a proper duel even without practice. Want me to prove it?”

Their two adversaries jumped back a bit at the ferocity of his words before snarling a bit. They looked at one another before resuming their smug looks and nodding.

“Why not? I would love to see the two of you squirm while I torture your poor bodies for what you have done tonight. At least then our Dark Lord’s death will not have been in vain. Ready yourself!”

Lucius took his stance across from Remus and started to twirl his wand. Remus remained very calm and focused as he watched his adversary’s every move. The moment he saw the attack, he effortlessly blocked it with a faint shield Tonks could barely make out.

This went on for some time before Remus started to move more onto the offensive, finding gaps in Lucius’ form and using that to his advantage. Tonks grew more confident that he might have a shot at winning when she noticed Rodolphus moving slowly around the room.

Remus threw one more heavy spell at his opponent, knocking him to the floor in a crumpled, unmoving mass, as Rodolphus aimed for a cheap shot at the knight.

Without thinking about what she was doing, Tonks reached down to where Dumbledore’s body now laid and pulled his wand from where it fell beside him. Quickly aiming it at the unsuspecting figure, she channeled everything she had ever felt when she morphed and tried to push it through the wand – hoping it would do something even without knowing any words to activate it.

A huge burst of energy emerged from the tip, slamming against its target and throwing him against the wall as she watched in shock. Remus turned to see what had happened and his eyes, too, grew large as it clicked what had just happened.

“Thanks for that.”

“Anytime…” replied Tonks, still trying to process what had happened.

“We aren’t out of the woods yet,” he reminded her. “We are still in grave danger until we can get out of this wretched country. Got any ideas?”

“One. But I’m not sure it will work.”

She quickly morphed herself into the closest possible form she could to Snape – eerily enough of a copy to startle Remus.

“I can try and act like I captured you,” came Tonks’ voice from Snape’s form “but I’m not sure how long I can keep that charade up in this area – I’m not in my element here and holding a specific form of someone requires much more focus and energy than I’d like to admit.”

“Do the best you can, m’lady. I do think your idea could work. Let’s gather back up the fount before we go. I think we should be able to touch it now.”

He gingerly reached out and placed his hands on the smooth metal. “It almost has a healing feel to it. Yes, we need to get this back to your mother.”

“Did she know about you? Either your time training at Hogstown or you being a werewolf?”

“Yes and yes – though this is still not the time for questions. We need to go. Now.”

Tonks nodded in agreement as she took off out of the vault – thankful for her training running through dark paths with the other palace spies allowing her to manage retracing her steps through the maze Snape had taken them through earlier. They were just now nearing the door when they heard pounding outside.

“ _Alohorma!_ ” hollered Remus as Tonks reached out to grab his arm as she focused to stay looking like the Voldemere spy. She jerked open the door and blinkingly stepped into the sun.

“I’ve managed to capture one of them, but the Dark Lord requested that he be allowed to play with Dumbledore awhile yet undisturbed. I need everyone to clear out so I can move this scum to my quarters.”

She had nearly pulled him through the throng when someone hollered “What about the bitch that went in there with him? Shouldn’t she be with you as well?”

Tonks slipped up and her hair changed color – normally it was easier for her to keep her form, but with all the stress lately it must have just been a bit too much.

“It’s her!”

“The metamorph!”

“Quick! After them!”

Remus and Tonks – who no longer tried to hold a different form – took off as fast as they could towards Snape’s house – thankful for both his training as a knight and her training as a spy giving them more endurance than the average person. Still – they barely reached the house before the horde caught them, and Remus scarcely had time to utter a locking charm before they were upon them.

“Quick! How do you get this fireplace thing to work?”

“Throw down a handful of powder and say where you want to go.”

“Snowdale Palace!” she screamed without thinking as she grabbed some, pulling Remus through behind her as she jumped into it.

This time, she didn’t close her eyes, and she was surprised to see that through another grate in front of her sat a familiar figure rocking back and forth.

“MOTHER!” she screamed, leaping out of the fireplace to hug her, causing poor Remus to fall onto the floor behind her.

“I knew you could do it,” Andromeda cried into her hair. “As soon as I saw you and Remus gone from the ball, I knew it would be okay in the end. Well, mostly okay.”

Remus made to leave the room when Tonks ran over and pulled him back.

“Not so fast, you,” she scolded him, dragging him back into the room. “I haven’t thanked you for helping me.”

Stretching onto the tip of her toes, Tonks reached up and pulled Remus down to plant a kiss on his lips and reached around to embrace him.

Momentarily shocked, it took him a moment to realize what was happening and, stuck between doing what was expected of his station and what his heart wanted, he decided to screw the rest of the world and kissed her back with no abandonment, only breaking apart when a faint chuckle reminded them that they were not alone.

*****

The following days were filled with much excitement as the three kingdoms began to restructure after the brief spell of chaos. Hagrid was found and was no worse for wear aside from being pretty shook up from the events. Hogstown mourned the loss of their head sage, with Minerva McGonagall taking up his mantle as its leader. Voldemere fully withdrew the remain of its armies, and a short but bloody fight for succession ended with someone no one had ever heard taking the throne – vowing to make and keep the peace between them the other kingdoms.

As for Snowdale, they mourned the loss of their king, and supported their beloved princess as she became the ruling monarch, with Remus at her side to the shock of many - except the queen mother. Eventually they grew to love him and in time nearly forgot about his humble origins.

The fount was set up in the throne room where it always seemed to have at least a couple of faeries near it, and anytime someone needed to be refreshed in spirit they could visit it, gaining a boost to their spirit in the process. The people continued their yearly Yuleball each midwinter, though now it had more of a bittersweet note to it and became a time of remembrance as well.

Remus took on the arduous job training a whole new set of knights, many of them fresh graduates from Hogstown, thankful for the era of peace to give him time to devote to his task. He returned to Hogstown every full moon to wait out his transformation, though many just assumed he was going to oversee the development of potential knights.

Tonks continued her work as a spy for many years, as well as traveling back and forth to Hogstown to learn how to better use the magic deep inside her. She vowed to never let her people suspect that could be and played up Remus’ part in obtaining peace to exclude her – partially to make him seem more worthy in her people’s eyes to one day be king. To her it would never matter – she had found her knight, the one that would always be by her side, and every day she grew more and more in love with him. And they lived happily ever after.


End file.
